Simply awfowl! Night Life Bar Review.

Byline: WAYNE STACKHOUSE

KILLING time before a theatre review I decided to see what it was like to eat at Birmingham's own Pitcher & Piano these days.

As it turned out, it was not the wisest move I've made in my life although the pleasant experience I had eating there a year or so back couldn't have prepared me for this.

Pitcher & Piano is a stylish, civilized kind of a place with an appealing waterfront setting and it's fair to say on the odd occasion I've had cause to drink there, service has always been pretty efficient and friendly.

Service was fine on this occasion, though it would be difficult not to have been given how few customers there were during office turning out time.

The menu, while not vast, is reasonably varied and dishes priced a bit above average pub grub.

I ordered the corn fed chicken with olive cream cheese, Parma ham and unspecified greens which all turned up promptly. Perhaps a bit too promptly.

I then had to do a double take, thinking at first I'd ordered a cold dish by mistake as it was barely warm.

It also seemed distinctly undercooked, which worried me somewhat given that the last time I'd (deliberately) had undercooked fowl - in the shape of duck - it didn't agree with my stomach.

Meanwhile, the Parma ham seemed to have taken leave, leaving just the dubious corn fed bird on a bed of some dreary green bits.

I did something I haven't done in a restaurant/pub for around 15 years come good, bad or indifferent dining. I sent it back, made a complaint and walked away.

There was the offer to take my concern to the management, but with a show to go to - and having already paid up front - I left it at that.

Verdict *****

PLUS: Pleasant ambience and efficient, friendly service.

MINUS: Singularly awful dining experience

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Title Annotation:	Features
Publication:	Birmingham Mail (England)
Date:	Jun 7, 2007
Words:	315
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